Blog

For governments, evidence-informed policymaking does not always start with the results of an impact evaluation. Sometimes it starts with a more immediate question: what can we learn from the information and experience we already have?

Through our African Scholars Program, we hope to help create more opportunities for African researchers to advance the research agenda on the continent through randomized evaluations. In this spotlight, we speak with Dr. Jonas Fassinou of Ecole Nationale d’Economie Appliquée et de Management...

The cost and timeline of some RCTs are not inherent limitations of the RCT design itself, nor are they unique to RCTs as a method. Rather, they largely reflect the research questions these studies typically ask—often about longer‑term outcomes—and the high-quality data required to answer them.

Electricity access has long been a major development priority, with Mission 300—the World Bank and African Development Bank’s commitment to connecting 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity—as the latest example. This priority reflects a broad pattern of economic development: no...

This post is part of our ongoing series showcasing the work and perspectives of economists from the African continent who are leading randomized evaluations. Through our African Scholars Program, we hope to help create more opportunities for African researchers to advance the research agenda on the...

This recap of the latest Evidence Matters webinar explores how jurisdictions are incorporating evidence into budgeting decisions, balancing innovation with accountability, and building systems that support better outcomes for residents.

This summer, the Egypt Impact Lab (EIL) launched a needs assessment that could lead to one of the first randomized evaluations of informal workers’ inclusion in a national health insurance system in Egypt. But the starting point was not a research protocol or technical workshop, it was a series of...

As governments face multiple economic, political, and environmental constraints, it may be tempting to turn to new technologies or shiny silver bullets to deliver results. But here is what we know: lasting climate resilience won’t come from a new AI tool or financing on its own. Because without...